Sa’ar denies reports of imminent Israel-Lebanon talks, says Beirut must first act against Hezbollah

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denies reports that Israel and Lebanon are set to hold direct talks in the coming days amid fighting with Hezbollah, speaking to foreign media at the site of an Iranian missile impact in the northern Bedouin town of Zarzir.

Asked by a Reuters reporter whether Sa’ar can confirm reports that Beirut and Jerusalem are expected to discuss an agreement on confronting Hezbollah and possibly broader cooperation, Sa’ar replies, “No.”

“If the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army want to change something, they should do something in order to stop the attacks being done by Hezbollah from Lebanese territory,” Sa’ar elaborates.

“Until now, they hadn’t done anything significant in order to stop [Hezbollah’s attacks],” he claims, saying that ever since the November 2024 US-brokered ceasefire with the Iran-backed terror group, “Lebanon hadn’t really done what it should have done in order to dismantle Hezbollah, and we see now the results. And we also expect to take some serious steps from their side to stop the shootings on Israel. This is the practical thing to do right now.”

“We are all for peace and normalization in the future, including with Lebanon. I think the problem in Lebanon is Hezbollah. We don’t have real disputes with the state of Lebanon. We have some minor border disputes that can be solved quite easily. But the problem is Hezbollah,” Sa’ar adds.

Army Radio reported this morning that former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer recently visited Saudi Arabia to discuss with senior Saudi officials an initiative for a possible direct talks with the Lebanese government.

Sa’ar also denies recent reports that Israel informed the United States that it was running low on missile interceptors. When asked by the same reporter to confirm those reports, Sa’ar replies, “The answer is no,” but does not elaborate.

After Semafor reported yesterday that Israel is running “critically low” on air defense interceptors, the IDF said this morning that it is “prepared and ready to handle any scenario” while declining to officially comment on specific munitions.